The present invention relates to a settling device, and more particularly to a settling device of a baby car for stopping the movement of the baby car by inhibiting the rotation of the car wheels.
With the rapid development in an industrialized society and more and more attention paid to the safety of babies, standards of safety requirements on baby-related products are stipulated in many countries all over the world. For example, symbols of CNS in Taiwan, UL in US and CE in European Union are marked on qualified products to facilitate users to identify them. Baby cars are also required to pass the above-mentioned tests to be used in safety.
One kind of baby cars is designed for helping a small baby to practice walking, so called as a baby walker. A baby walker includes plural wheels under a seat with balance. A baby in the seat which supports his weight steps against the ground to move with the aid of the wheels. Due to the free movement of the baby by way of the car, the baby is subject to danger in absence of watching care. For example, if the baby walker is moved through an uneven topography or stairs, it may result in turnover, and the baby may get hurt. Therefore, a settling device is needed to stop the car when the watching person cannot keep his eyes on the baby all the time.
Currently, a commercialized baby walker includes a settling device operated by a frictional force, as shown in FIG. 1. The settling device includes a friction mask 4 over a wheel 2. By keeping the friction mask 4 in contact with the wheel 2, the frictional force there between makes the rotation of the wheel 2 difficult so as to stop the car. The use of the frictional force, however, cannot guarantee the motionless state of the car because a larger force is still possible to rotate the wheel to some extent. In addition, the frictional force may decrease with the using time so as to further lower the settling effect.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a settling device of a baby car to efficiently inhibit the rotation of the car wheels.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a settling device for stopping a baby car from moving by inhibiting the rotation of wheels is provided. The settling device includes a button portion, a button support portion and a pivot portion. The button support portion is arranged between two opposite ends of the button portion for supporting the button portion, and allowing one of the two opposite ends to be elevated when the other end is pressed down. The pivot portion includes a first linking rod connected to a first end of the button portion via a first connecting point, and performing a first horizontal shift when the first end is pressed down; and a first arm connected to the first linking rod via a second connecting point, and performing a second horizontal shift to enter one of the wheels in response to the first horizontal shift of the first linking rod so as to inhibit the wheel to rotate. For example, the first arm has an end -portion thereof enter a vacancy between spokes of the wheel to stop the wheel from rotating.
Preferably, the button portion are convex at the two opposite ends and concave in the middle so that a user is easy to exert a pressing force on the button portion.
Preferably, the pivot portion further includes a second linking rod connected to the first end of the button portion via the first connecting point, and performing a third horizontal shift when the first end is pressed down; and a second arm connected to the second linking rod via a third connecting point, and performing a fourth horizontal shift to enter another one of the wheels in response to the third horizontal shift of the second linking rod so as to inhibit the another wheel to rotate.
In an embodiment, the pivot portion further includes a third linking rod connected to the first arm and the first linking rod via the second connecting point; and a fourth linking rod connected to the second arm and the second linking rod via the third connecting point, and to the third linking rod via a fourth connecting point which is fixed at a position. The first, the second, the third and the fourth linking rods constitute a quadrilateral, e.g. a rhombus, via the connection of the first, the second, the third and the fourth connecting points with the first and the second arms horizontally extending from two opposite end points of the quadrilateral.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a settling device for stopping a baby car from moving by inhibiting the rotation of wheels includes a button portion for providing thereon a pressing force; a button support portion arranged between two ends of the button portion for supporting the button portion, and allowing the two ends of the button portion to perform a seesawing motion in response to the pressing force; and a pivot portion located between a first and a second wheels for controlling the rotation of the first and the second wheels according to the seesawing motion of the button portion. The pivot portion includes a first linking rod connected to a first one of the two ends of the button portion via a first connecting point, and performing a vertical shift in response to the pressing force exerted on the button portion; a second linking rod connected to the first linking rod via a second connecting point, and performing a first vertical partial shift and a first horizontal partial shift in response to the vertical shift of the first linking rod; a third linking rod connected to the first linking rod via the second connecting point, and performing a second vertical partial shift and a second horizontal partial shift in response to the vertical shift of the first linking rod; a first arm connected to the second linking rod via a third connecting point, and performing a first horizontal shift in response to the first horizontal .partial shift of the second linking rod; a second arm connected to the third linking rod via a fourth connecting point, and performing a second horizontal shift in response to the second horizontal partial shift of the third linking rod.
Preferably, the pivot portion further includes a fourth linking rod connected to the second linking rod and the first arm via the third connecting point, and a fifth linking rod connected to the third linking rod and the second arm via the fourth connecting point, and the fourth and the fifth linking rods are connected with each other via a fifth connecting point which is fixed at a position, so that the first, second, third and fourth linking rods constitute an original quadrilateral.
For the situation that the baby car is disallowed to be moved, the pressing force is exerted on the first end of the button portion, and the vertical shift of the first linking rod, the first vertical partial shift of the second linking rod, and the second vertical partial shift of the third linking rod are in a downward direction. At this moment, the first horizontal partial shift of the second linking rod and the first horizontal shift of the first arm are in a direction toward the first wheel so as to have an end portion of the first arm enter a vacancy between spokes of the first wheel to stop the first wheel from rotating, and the second horizontal partial shift of the third linking rod and the second horizontal shift of the second arm are in a direction toward the second wheel so as to have an end portion of the second arm enter a vacancy between spokes of the second wheel to stop the second wheel from rotating. In this case, the first horizontal shift of the first arm and the second horizontal shift of the second arm are in back-to-back opposite directions so that the original quadrilateral becomes a horizontally extended rhombus.
For the situation that the baby car is allowed to be moved again, the pressing force is exerted on a second end of the button portion opposite to the first end, and the vertical shift of the first linking rod, the first vertical partial shift of the second linking rod, and the second vertical partial shift of the third linking rod are in an upward direction. Correspondingly, the first horizontal partial shift of the second linking rod and the first horizontal shift of the first arm are in a direction away from the first wheel so as to retract the end portion of the first arm from the vacancy between spokes of the first wheel, and the second horizontal partial shift of the third linking rod and the second horizontal shift of the second arm are in a direction away from the second wheel so as to retract the end portion of the second arm from the vacancy between spokes of the second wheel, thereby allowing the first and the second wheels to rotate. In this case, the first horizontal shift of the first arm and the second horizontal shift of the second arm are in face-to-face opposite directions so as to recover the original quadrilateral.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a settling device of a baby car includes a button portion for providing therethrough a user""s operation; and a pivot portion located between the button portion and a wheel of the baby car, and including a pin which is adjacent to the wheel and can be pushed into a vacancy in the wheel in response to the user""s operation to stop the wheel from rotating.